Article and photos by Craig Huegel, PhD
Symphyotrichum Asters for the Home Landscape Part 2: The Less Aggressive Asters In the previous article (Palmetto 402), I wrote about Symphyotrichum asters in general and covered the species that are most aggressive in my Pasco County landscape. The asters in this article are less aggressive, but all asters spread when grown in the proper conditions. They spread by seed, but more commonly by underground stems known as rhizomes. Given time, all asters will produce plantlets off these rhizomes and form colonies. In a small mixed landscape where maximum diversity is desired, these less aggressive asters will require less thinning out to keep them from overwhelming their neighbors. Scaleleaf aster (Symphyotrichum adnatum) Scaleleaf aster is easy to identify. As its common and Latin names imply, it is characterized by tiny scalelike leaves that are appressed along its wiry stems. It is common to most of Florida from the Panhandle south to the Florida Keys although it has not been vouchered in northern peninsular parts of the state and in much of the eastern half of the southern peninsula. Outside of Florida, it occurs in the southern Southeastern Coastal Plain from Georgia west to Louisiana. Throughout its distribution, it grows in open sandy habitats. My first experience with it was in xeric flatwoods, but it also is found in sandhills. Scaleleaf aster is barely noticeable when it emerges in the spring. Its whipcord stems are only partly erect and they tend to get lost in adjacent vegetation. The stems are 2-4 feet long, but rarely more than 2 feet tall unless well supported by the surrounding vegetation. Multiple stems are produced off the main stem and are covered by short, noticeable hairs. The basal leaves are lost early in the growing season, leaving only the yellowish green shiny scalelike leaves from summer to early winter. In my landscape, 10 ● Palmetto
scaleleaf aster is the last to bloom, often waiting until December. The flowers are composed of lavender ray flowers surrounding a yellow disk and are about ½ inch across. Because it blooms so late, it is an important nectar source for the few pollinators that are still active.
Chapman's aster (Symphyotrichum chapmanii).
Scaleleaf aster (Symphyotrichum adnatum) foliage and flower.
Chapman’s aster (Symphyotrichum chapmanii) Chapman’s aster is one of my favorites, but I’ve never had much success with it in my home landscape. It is common to the wet savannas and freshwater marsh edges of the western Panhandle, but has also been reported in Alachua and St. Lucie Counties, well outside its primary range. It also is a near endemic, being vouchered outside Florida only in Georgia. Chapman’s aster can go largely unnoticed when not in bloom. It produces a basal rosette of very thin deep green
linear leaves in spring and then a single flowering stalk that eventually reaches about 3 feet in height. The leaves remain linear but are much reduced in size as they ascend the stem. Flowers are produced singly atop the main stem or on a few side stems in late summer to very early fall, and it is one of the first asters to bloom each year in my landscape. The flowers are comprised of numerous very thin rich lavender ray flowers surrounding a yellow disk. They are very attractive, but far more striking when seen in mass. Chapman’s aster would be a good candidate for a mixed-species planting in a wetland setting. Silver aster (Symphyotrichum concolor) Silver aster produces many willowy stems from a basal clump of linear leaves covered with white felty hairs. As in many asters, the ½ to 1-inch-long basal leaves disappear soon after the main stems are produced. The narrow leaves are much reduced along the stem, becoming no longer than ¼ inch near the top of the flowering stalk. They are tightly clasping but the tips are everted outwards. In my landscape and in natural areas nearby flowers appear in late October and well into November. They differ from Volume 40:3 ● 2024
